1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the art of microwave cooking appliances and, more particularly, to an microwave energy delivery system including launching zone which efficiently delivers a microwave energy field through a waveguide and into an cooking chamber.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Cooking appliances utilizing a directed microwave energy field to cook a food item have existed for some time. In general, a cooking process is performed by heating the food item by directing a standing microwave energy field into an oven cavity such that the microwave energy field reflects about the oven cavity and impinges upon the food item. As the microwave energy fields impinge upon the food item, the fields are converted into heat through two mechanisms. The first heating mechanism is caused by the linear acceleration of ions, generally in the form of salts present within the food item. The second is the molecular excitation of polar molecules, primarily water, present within the food item. However, the nature of the standing waves results in localized areas of high and low energy which cause the food to cook unevenly. This is especially true in larger ovens where the size of the cavity requires a more uniform energy distribution in order to properly cook the food. To attain an even, or uniform energy distribution, the microwave energy must be introduced into the oven cavity in a manner which creates a constructive standing wave front which will propagate about the oven cavity in a random fashion.
Various methods of directing microwaves into cooking chambers to minimize hot and cold areas within a food item have been proposed in the prior art. These methods range from altering the pattern of the standing waves by varying the frequency of the microwave energy field, to incorporating a stationary mode stirrer which simulates a change in the geometric space of the cooking chamber.
Methods of changing the wave pattern also include the incorporation of a rotating blade stirrer which functions to reflect microwave energy into a cooking cavity in various patterns. Traditionally, stirrers have been located in various points in the microwave feed system, ranging from adjacent to a microwave energy source, to a position within the cooking chamber itself. Some stirrers include various openings which are provided to disperse the standing waves, and others have various surface configurations designed to reflect the standing waves. Stirrers are either driven by a motor, or by air currents supplied by a blower. In any event, all of these methods share a common theme, i.e., to reflect and/or deflect the microwave energy into a cooking cavity such that a uniform distribution of standing wave patterns can be achieved.
Other methods include modifying the structure of the waveguide itself. Waveguide designs include cylinders, square boxes, and a variety of other configurations, each having an exit window through which the microwave energy can pass. While, these designs may cause the standing waves to interfere with one another such that the wave pattern was randomized, substantial energy is typically lost with such an arrangement.
Still other methods are directed to rotating or moving the food being cooked within the cooking chamber. Ovens employing this method, position the food on a rotatable platter which is rotated through the standing wave patterns such that the food is more uniformly exposed to the microwaves. While these methods are fine for smaller ovens, they are hardly practical for larger conventional ovens where space is more of a concern. As oven cavities have grown in size and microwave technology has been combined into conventional or convection ovens, the uniform distribution of the standing waves has become of even greater concern. For this reason, manufacturers have modified their designs to include multiple magnetrons, multiple stirrers, and motor driven, variable speed stirrers, all of which were intended to create a random wave pattern thought to be of a more uniform character. Certainly, the mechanisms which serve to defect the microwave energy field, e.g., stirring fans and turntables, add to the complexity of designs and introduce multiple failure points, thus reducing the service life of such appliances. Furthermore, in an age where energy consumption is of a concern, the need for an energy efficient cooking appliance is desired.
Based on the above, there exists a need for a microwave delivery system which will direct a uniform standing wave pattern into an cooking chamber in a manner that reduces the complexity of system components, minimizes energy losses within a waveguide, and provides a uniform, maximum energy field source to the cooking chamber.
The present invention is directed to a microwave cooking appliance including a cooking chamber, and a microwave energy delivery system including an annular, toroidal-shaped waveguide, a launching zone, and a magnetron. In one form of the invention, the waveguide includes an upper surface, a hollow interior portion exposed to the cooking chamber, and a circular bottom surface. The launching zone serves as an interface between the magnetron and the waveguide. The launching zone includes a rectangular surface having a first end which is open to the waveguide and a second end onto which a microwave energy source is mounted. The microwave energy source takes the form of a magnetron including an antenna which extends into the launching zone. Upon activation of the magnetron, a microwave energy field is generated in the launching zone, directed through the toroidal waveguide, and into the cooking chamber.